Hillside Studios and Apartments — Hotel in Municipality of Rhodes

Few things to consider before booking.||I went here on holidays in August and the room was nice and had a nice modern bed and bathroom. However on the first night the sheets had hair on them. The shower had dirt in the grouting and looked like it hadn’t been deep cleaned since it was built, the shower head didn’t work and we had to fix it ourselves since the water only came out the big tap, and the toilet seat wasn’t on properly and kept slipping and the lid wouldn’t stay up. ||The kitchen was functional but cutlery were dirty and the cleaners don’t clean the cutlery before you move in. There’s lots of stains left on the forks. Washing up liquid isn’t provided so you will have to buy it if you want to use the kitchen. The cleaners came by every day but around 8-9 am so you couldn’t really sleep in you’d get woken up by loud knocks or the door opening. ||The staff at reception weren’t very nice or friendly, the majority don’t speak English or know it well enough so it was hard to communicate. The receptionist didn’t feel welcoming and it was hard to explain and ask for help for the rooms if they didn’t even understand us. ||The hotel is located in the middle of nowhere up a hill for a walk of 25 minutes. On websites it says it’s a short walk but they do not mention how steep the walk up is so it’s closer to 30-40 minutes. You have to get a taxi if you have any sort of big bag or luggage, and it’s very hard to get a taxi. You’ve to book them in advance or walk to the nearest taxi station and wait to hope a taxi sees you and pulls over. It’s around €8-10 going from Faliraki centre to the hotel. The locals weren’t nice either and lots struggled with English. ||They have room service and we were told they close at 10pm. On the first night we placed an order at around 8:50pm and waited an hour then went to reception to ask where our food was. The receptionist told us them finish orders around 8-9 and then spend an hour closing until 10 and they had closed for the night and went home and there’s nothing they can do about it. We had been starving for dinner and waited so long. Would have been basic decency to let us know they closed up and couldn’t do the orders. But we got no texts, no calls or no advance and were waiting for over an hour for food that was never going to come. ||The kitchen staff were nice at least the woman serving at the front desk and the food came quickly. I’ve seen reviews before coming that the kitchen staff were the only nice people and everyone else is not welcoming and there’s so much truth to that. The food was brought out quickly and was nice however the prices are quite high for the amount of food you get. Wouldn’t be recommended to eat here everyday as you’ll run out of funds quickly. The woman was attentive and asked if we need any sauces or anything extra. ||Don’t wear open toed shoes or shorts at night around the hotel as there’s every sort of bug and creature when the sun goes down. The hallway to my room was filled with cockroaches, mantis, flying insects, and LOTS AND LOTS OF HORNETS. Just be mindful if you’re screamish about bugs like I am. ||I think in conclusion, the location is a big factor of why you shouldn’t consider this place. I’m very fit but no body’s this fit going up a steep hill in 30 plus degree weather. You’d have to fork out taxi money and that’s if you’re able to get one. There’s a free shuttle bus at 11, 3 and 5pm but if you go down at 5 you’d have no way but to do a hike up late at night. Or you would have to take the 11am bus down and get back up at 5. It’s gets super crowded too and you’d have to wait for the next bus if there’s too many people waiting. The bus isn’t really a bus either it’s a big van that fits around 8-9 people and you’re packed like sardines. ||About safety, |The first night we walked up the hill to get to the hotel and a man in a rent a car past by and stopped down the road and started reversing backwards to us. We tried to speed up it was like a horror movie of kidnapping and he rolled down his window and said he worked at the hotel and told us the get in and we said no since we were close by but he kept pushing. Eventually he left but he was so suspicious since he was going the opposite way of the hotel and he was driving a rented car. During my whole stay I never saw him once. He didn’t work at reception or around the kitchen. He might’ve been a chef but it was all women working at the kitchen when I saw. I’m a girl so I’m extra mindful when it comes to safety but who in the right mind as a grown man pulls up to a girl to ask her to get in his car at 11pm to the hotel. If he works there then the safety is kind of concerning. Be careful if you’re a group of girls staying here and don’t stay out at night. ||I still enjoyed my stay enough however since I was relieved when ever I got back after a long day of activities but there’s so many other cheap hotels around the area that’s closed to Faliraki town and won’t have as many of these issues. So many things went wrong here and not what I imagined at all. Very...

Beware are! I would strongly advise not paying for any kind of meals, all inclusive, half board or bed and breakfast. All are an expense that’s just not worth it. The first morning we went for breakfast we looked at the offerings which were a very basic continental offering. We looked in a menu and chose a cooked breakfast and assumed it was included. It was not. We were called by the waitress and told we needed to pay 18 euro. That evening we saw what was included for dinner, pork chops and lasagna. That’s it. I spoke to Philip in reception and questioned the half board option, I was told anything from menu I have to pay for. If I don’t like the two meal options then it’s my issue. I then asked about removing the half board from our reservation and was told to contact my booking company. I did this and apparently they can do it if the hotel agrees. They contacted Philip a few mins after I spoke to him and he declined to allow that! Why could he have not told me this to begin with rather than sending me on a goose chase. Also beware, this hotel advertises air conditioning however HOWEVER does not mention that they will charge you in cash 10 euro per night to give you the key to turn it on. You may think this cash payment goes towards the repairs of the hotel……nope. The air con does take part of the heat away however it will cause an electric noise and make the lights flick. It was also spray you with water in the night and leave ample puddles on the floor. Looking at the room the bathroom had various damage and the shower was broken, I managed to temp fix myself as didn’t want to be anywhere near Philip again. Various random stains in the room I don’t want to guess what they are. I would suggest pulling the curtain and trapping part in the table draw as they don’t close fully due to air con unit. The light will wake you up depending what room you are in. The hotel is extremely noisy. There is a free shuttle 3 times a day to faliraki but we ended up getting a quad bike for a few days so didn’t need to rely on the hotel service. Some web sites claim this to be a 3 star and others 2 star. It is extremely run down and in need of repair. My suggestion to the hotel is to use the case for the air con usage to repair the place and the money from the board to actually put on a selection of food. Upon leaving the hotel it was apparent that the hotel staff treat guests different. We were pleasant and handed the keys back, we got a “thanks”. Waiting outside another guest checked out and their conversation was “thank you so much, did you enjoy your visit? Here is a little gift to remember your stay by”. I am not sure how Philip got into hospitality as I think his talents lay away from public. Lastly, if your room is near reception you will enjoy free WiFi. Anywhere else it just won’t work or you will enjoy speeds of 53KB/Second. Again reception not interested in issues like this, it all depends if they like you when you arrive.

I 100% DO NOT...

had a 5 night stay here as three, 18yr old girls and firstly have to say how safe we all felt, the atmosphere in this family-run hotel was so friendly and welcoming. the room itself was standard but met all our needs - had a kitchenette (hob, kettle, fridge - none of which we used as so many great food options in town and hotel). beds comfy and changed every other day. dressing table with mirror, cupboard, safe etc. bathroom small but fine; only issue here we found was the shower - the shower head liked to spurt water out the curtain and too close to the wall so hard to manoeuvre, the shower curtain goes across both the shower and toilet which is odd imo, was essentially a wet room as there is a drain in the middle of the room as so much water got everywhere so take sandals for the bathroom as the floor does take a while to dry due to the humidity. since we were only staying for 5 nights we firmed it. opted for bed and breakfast which was well worth it for the price - buffet style breakfast available with enough selection (pastries, english breakfasts, fruits, juices etc). kitchen staff all so so friendly. even opted for lunch in one night due to ease and prices are still very affordable (9€ for a margherita pizza). diner is right next to the pool, looking out to the beach, so it’s a beautiful view to have whilst eating. reception staff all very helpful with any queries and someone (usually Charlie) is on hand all night if you want to buy something from the shop or call a taxi late at night. the free shuttle service taking you straight to the centre of Faliraki is definitely something to note as it’s so helpful. in the 40 degree heat none of us were up for the steep, long walk down to the centre (it’s not as close as you think). the shuttle runs at 11:00, 17:00 and 20:00. if going out for a late dinner or want to come back in-between just grab a taxi only costs 10€. only one thing that surprised us worth mentioning is the cost of aircon. we assumed it’d be included in the price but this is an additional cost. our first night was incredibly uncomfortable in 30 degree heat, didn’t want to risk leaving the door open either as we were bottom floor. it’s a 10€/night charge - just pay it, coming back to an air conned room was bliss in the midst of the heatwave. overall great experience and would really...